Dagmar C. G. Lorenz Book order

This volume of specially commissioned essays offers a fresh perspective on Arthur Schnitzler, the Viennese Jewish dramatist and prose writer whose prolific career coincided with the final phase of the Habsburg monarchy. He recognized the threat of racist anti-Semitism to the assimilation of Austrian Jews earlier than many contemporaries. His works delve into the conflict between emerging feminism and the prevailing misogynistic discourse, reflecting the collapse of traditional social structures during the Habsburg era and the challenges faced by the nascent republic. In the 1950s, Schnitzler's literary legacy became a model for Viennese Jewish intellectuals born after the Shoah, and his exploration of gender relations, role expectations, and casual sex continues to captivate audiences today. His significance in contemporary European culture is underscored by the ongoing popularity of his works, including Stanley Kubrick's adaptation of Traumnovelle into the film Eyes Wide Shut. This Companion volume features a team of international scholars who examine Schnitzler's dramas and prose through contemporary critical lenses, set against the backdrop of Austria's multicultural society during a time of profound change.

A critical view of German writing by authors from a variety of cultural and ethnic backgrounds.

Keepers of the Motherland is the first comprehensive study of German and Austrian Jewish women authors. Dagmar Lorenz begins with Yiddish author Glikl Hamil, whose works date from the late-seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, and progresses to contemporary writers like Grete Weil, Katja Behrens, and Ruth Klüger. She examines a remarkable range of distinguished authors, including Else Lasker-Schüler, Rosa Luxemburg, Nelly Sachs, and Gertrud Kolmar. While highlighting each author's individuality, Lorenz unifies her study by focusing on how these writers reflect on their identities as Jews and women. She argues that the themes and characters in their texts resist patriarchal structures. The term "motherland" represents the Jewish woman's native language, transcending political or ethnic boundaries, while "fatherland" refers to the power structures of the nation or state. Lorenz describes a vital, diverse, and largely dissident literary tradition—a brilliant countertradition that has persisted despite oppression and genocide. By combining meticulous research with inspired synthesis, Lorenz offers an indispensable resource for students of German, Jewish, and women’s writings.